“QUEEN OF SOUL”

The passing of Aretha Franklin has surprisingly affected me on such an emotional level. I was not ready for this flood of emotion. I was not ready to re-live my childhood and experience the full essence of my mother. My mother embodied the same unapologetic persona that Aretha did.

Aretha Franklin was much like a family heirloom. She was handed down to me from my Mother. In the sixties I was way too young to appreciate her music lyrically, however, the instrumental sounds and rhythms have left an impression on my mind, body, and soul. That impression will remain in my life forever. My vivid memories of watching my mother dancing in our den, belting out Aretha songs, singing every lyric with every ounce of energy in her body was memorable, to say the least. As I I grew older gaining life experiences the lyrics began to make sense and I was left with an appreciation of what music could do if of course it is done right. Aretha Franklin did music right. I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite song titles in a poem.